Let’s acknowledge what we have achieved so far this year! We held a local procurement webinar focused on expanding values based purchasing. We’ve held two Food Policy Council Meetings. We hosted our first Policy, Education, and Advocacy (PEA) Committee meeting, where we held focused roundtable discussions to inform our updated Policy Agenda. Oh, and we updated our Policy Agenda! Our Council members and partners are phenomenal contributors working tirelessly to advance a more resilient regional food system, and I couldn't be prouder to collaborate with them across all these spheres.

Our next PEA Meeting is on May 28 10:30am to 12:00pm at The Summit in Cincinnati State. We will take our policy agenda and move it into action by narrowing in on 2-3 priorities, and beginning to craft Committee owned projects to drive action forward. You can sign up for the committee here if you want to join the work.

The rest of this newsletter highlights a ton of great efforts coming up to get engaged with our work (make sure to get all the way to the end for some bite-sized inspirations). Thank you for being a part of this network and for joining our movement!

Cheers,

Rosa Baker

Manager, Greater Cincinnati Regional Food Policy Council

Reply to this email to reach Rosa, or for questions regarding membership, visit here or email membership@greenumbrella.org.

Cincinnati’s last Save A Lot, in Roselawn, is on the brink of closure after 15 years of service. This would mean that Roselawn and its surrounding communities (Bond Hill, Amberly, etc) would become a food desert. The Food Policy Council is working with partners to get creative and find a solution to save this store. What we need now is Community Voice and Movement to demonstrate that this store is important to us! If you want to be a part of this effort, please fill out this form with your contact information or to submit a public comment about your experience and the importance of this store.

Garden of Joy is a new Green Umbrella Member and new partner to the Food Policy Council. Dominic Bley, Garden of Joy’s Director of Culinary Arts Education, serves as a Council Member for the FPC and is also contributing to our Nutrition Education Task Force, working to create a nutrition curriculum that can be shared across schools in our region.

Garden of Joy Culinary Academy is a Cincinnati-based nonprofit that provides free culinary, gardening, life skills, and restorative programming for students in grades 7-12 across Greater Cincinnati. Much of the programming takes place directly after school, providing a safe, supportive third place for kids to learn and grow.

In addition to their after school and summer programming, Garden of Joy hosts special community events. Visit their website for more information (and stay tuned for an upcoming Juneteenth Food Festival!).

Interested in becoming a Green Umbrella member and collaborating on future events? Learn more today.

On 513 Day, food systems experts, advocates, and newly interested individuals were able to gather together to connect with the FPC and learn more about food rescue at La Soupe. Attendees had the opportunity to tour the rescue and transformation operation, try some rescued bites, and connect with Food Policy Council Members, including Sable Bender and Possum Strous. In 2025, La Soupe saved 1.4 million pounds of food from the landfill, preventing 2,600 metric tons of CO2 (that’s the equivalent of more than 600 gas powered cars!), all while feeding community members.

It’s official! The new Central Ohio River Valley (CORV) Local Food Guide has been published and it is chock full of great information, everything from your new favorite farmers market to your closest CSA. There are some incredible pieces featuring work across our regional food system including that of Council Members, R. Alan Wight and Nicole Gunderman. Congratulations to Council Member Rachel Powers, as the producer of the guide, for seeing this project through the finish line. The CORV Guide is a pivotal and key resource for our community, and we hope you will use it and share it with your friends.

June 9, 2026 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM

MadTree Brewery, Oakley Taproom

This Climate Week conversation features community members who are rehabilitating the land, sequestering carbon, and leading the fight against chronic disease. Hosted by Think Regeneration, a nonprofit that supports leaders in regenerative agriculture, Cincinnati's Foodshed: An Art Atlas, and MadTree, this special conversation will focus on soil health, its relationship to nutrient-dense food, and the overall life of our land. 

June 12, 2026 from 8:00 - 6:00 PM

Sharonville Convention Center

Join us for Green Umbrella’s biggest event of the year! As the signature event of the first-ever Cincinnati Climate Week, the Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit. This year’s Summit features nearly 100 speakers, 45 exhibitors, an art show, live performances, interactive experiences, and a keynote by Dr. Rebecca Carter focused on this year’s theme: Adapt Today, Thrive Tomorrow.

You’ll want to check out the “Healthy Soils: The Recipe for a Thriving Culture” breakout session. In this session, speakers will explore why healthy soils matter for nutrient dense food, community, and culture, and how anyone, regardless of scale, can start somewhere. Come away with practical strategies and a new lens on what it means to eat where you live. Register Here.

June 13 from 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Rockdale Academy

The Green and Healthy Schools Symposium will bring together visionary leaders, educators, students, foodservice champions, and partners to explore strategies for building green schoolyards, green career pathways, and school community wellness throughout a school district. (Fun fact: Cincinnati Public School educators can earn up to 8.5 professional development hours for attending the symposium!)

There will be an afternoon panel centered on “Improving Academic Outcomes through Nutrition Education & School Gardens,” moderated by Jessica Shelly, The Director of Student Dining Services at Cincinnati Public Schools. Click here for a full description of all keynotes, breakout sessions, and how to register!

This competitive grant provides up to $200,000 for agencies in Hamilton County, Ohio, to increase the amount of surplus food diverted from the landfill for human consumption. Communities, schools, non-profit organizations, and for-profit businesses engaging in the rescue of surplus food are eligible to apply. Applicants must explain how this funding will divert an additional 250 tons of surplus food from the landfill within two years.

We’re introducing this little corner of the newsletter to feature some fun multi-media resources to inspire food system changemakers in our community! Do you have a must read, watch, recipe, etc? Email us with your suggestion for the chance to be included in our next newsletter!

Here are some of our network’s recent inspirational chews:

This recommendation comes from our friend Fran at the Society of Saint Andrew, who gleans directly from farms in our region to save food from being wasted and delivers it to those in need. While the recipe is simple, Fran explained, “you just have to be patient because it takes a while.” I think this is a lesson we can all stand to learn from, especially working in the complexity of the food system.

Carol Smathers, MS, MPH, is an Associate Professor and Extension Field Specialist with Ohio State University Extension and recently shared with the Ohio Farm to ECE Coalition about how her household grocery budget has been $6 or less per day! You can read just how she does it in her blog.

This is one of Rosa Baker’s favorite personal novels of all time. In this beautiful memoir, Zauner uses Korean food as the connecting line between her memory, culture, and healing. It is funny and heartbreaking all at once. The descriptions of her mom’s signature dishes will have your mouth watering and looking for the closest Korean restaurant or H Mart (Rosa recommends Riverside Korean in Covington).

Reply to this email to reach the new Food Policy Council Manager, Rosa, or for questions regarding membership, visit here or email membership@greenumbrella.org.

Interested in sponsoring the Food Policy Council? Email Director of Engagement and Strategic Partnerships Charlie Gonzalez.